If you were asked to describe football paradise, what would you say? I don’t know what options you’ll have, but I found my paradise in Paris.
In the second district of Paris, a 20-minute walk from the Louvre, there is a LineUp store between the streets that doesn’t particularly catch your eye at first glance. But I assure you that if you are a football fan, you won’t want to leave.
Photo: “Championship”
Photo: “Championship”
The thing is, LineUp is one of the biggest stores for original retro uniforms in Europe. Seriously, you can find almost everything there.
Gareth Bale’s Tottenham number three shirt, the one he wore to work wonders in the Champions League? Please. Zubastic Ronaldo’s legendary number nine shirt for Brazil? Just ask.
Photo: “Championship”
And next to Ronaldo hangs a blue Ronaldinho shirt. He wore the same one when he scored the legendary free-kick goal against England at the 2002 World Cup.
Photo: “Championship”
Photo: “Championship”
Zidane and the French national team for Euro 2004 are also available. And then there is Crespo at Chelsea, Morientes at Liverpool, Javier Sanetti and Inter from their Champions League-winning season. And even the South Korean national team’s kit for their home World Cup.
Photo: “Championship”
What about prices? Of course, they bite – and quite hard. For example, Ronaldo’s Brazilian shirt is one of the shop’s top items. It will set you back €255, while Zidane’s shirt for France will cost €155. But there are cheaper options: a Harry Kane shirt from his great time at Tottenham will cost €110.
Despite the prices, however, the demand for the shirts is huge. In front of me, a German man pulled out of the shop six shirts from different Bundesliga clubs from the 1980s.
Photo: “Championship”
-Where do you get all this stuff? – I ask one of the sellers named Charles. – We are constantly looking for collectors who will sell them. This is a very complex process. Sometimes you have to participate in auctions, sometimes you have to buy something else besides the main objective. Not all collectors are accommodating.
Photo: “Championship”
— Which T-shirts are in greatest demand? — France’s 2006 World Cup team. We never have them in stock; they sell out instantly. And the hardest to get are the kits of the Brazilian clubs and the national team. By the way, we even have kits for the Russian national team!
Photo: “Championship”
-Are you kidding? – No! In the catalogue we have uniforms from 2007, Euro 2008 and Euro 2016.
– Can I look? – No, everything is already sold out!
– And who buys it? – You’ll be surprised, but the French. You have a great form.
Photo: “Championship”
Photo: “Championship”
I usually spent about two hours in the shop and didn’t want to leave. Another must-see place has appeared on the Paris map.
